MANILA, 4 July 2008 (IRIN) - The Philippines government, international community, and local private sector all provided assistance in response to Fengshen, the first major typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.

"The Philippines' response collectively has been very good," said Andrew MacLeod of the UN Resident Coordinator's Office. "The government was able to handle it very well. It has a good mechanism through the National Disaster Coordinating Council [NDCC]."

Originally predicted not to strike land, Fengshen's irregular movement took the country by surprise. Wind gusts up to 195km per hour and heavy rains caused landslides, flashfloods, and several marine disasters on 21-23 June, killing 781 people, destroying more than 300,000 homes, and causing P11 billion (US$242 million) of damage to agriculture, according to the latest figures from the NDCC.

The typhoon also caused one of the worst marine disasters in the country's recent history. MV Princess of the Stars, carrying 866 people, sank off Romblon province in the Visayas.

The sea accounted for 173 deaths and only 56 survivors have been found. The rest remain unaccounted for, believed to be trapped inside the capsised ferry or carried by the current to nearby islands. The Philippine Coast Guard's recovery operations were aborted when 10 tonnes of Endosulfan, a restricted pesticide for use in pineapple plantations, was discovered in the sunken ferry, the NDCC reported.

For the full article, please visit: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79100 

Source: Xinhua News Agency

URL: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KHII-7GC9VA?OpenDocument 

Date: 07 Jul 2008

YANGON, Jul 07, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- Thailand is seeking to establish in Myanmar an early warning network system against cyclone and a delegation, led by Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Mun Patanotai, is currently on a visit in Yangon.

According to the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar Tuesday, talks on the move were held between the Thai delegation and its Myanmar counterpart, led by Minister of Transport Major- General Thein Swe, during the visit.

The Thai delegation also met with Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu, Chairman of the ASEAN-Myanmar-United Nations Tripartite Core Group representing Myanmar, Monday to seek cooperation on the move, the report said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has set up an emergency telecommunication center (ETC) in Yangon to help for quick communication access in disaster relief and restoration works, the local Biweekly Eleven reported earlier.

Some Myanmar staff have been trained by the UN Emergency Communication Group operating the center, the report said, adding that the UN group has been rendering assistance for some social organizations based in Bangkok to bring in their relief aid supplies to cyclone-hit areas in Myanmar's Ayeyawaddy division and Yangon division.

Deadly cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on last May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage.

Myanmar estimated the damages and losses caused by the storm at 10.67 billion U.S. dollars with 5.5 million people affected.

The storm has killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to the latest official death toll.

Final report by Katharina Welle, Manhiem Bol Malek and Tom Slaymaker

http://www.odi.org.uk/wpp/resources/project-reports/WRAPP%20evaluation%20report.pdfExecutive

Summary and Strategic Recommendations

The Water for Recovery and Peace Program (WRAPP) has been operating in Southern Sudan under PACT since 2005 with the aim to (1) increase access to protected water supply and enhance awareness about sanitation and hygiene; (2) enhance capacity for community management of water schemes; (3) contribute to the reduction of conflict and the promotion of stability and peace; and (4) be gender and environmentally sensitive. The main funding agency of WRAPP is USAID/OFDA.

By November 2007, WRAPP had implemented 707 (boreholes) rural water supply schemes, rehabilitated 505 (boreholes) schemes, 13 semi-urban water distribution

schemes, public toilet blocks in 10 towns and one hafir, a major rainwater harvesting facility. The total number of beneficiaries reached under WRAPP reach an estimated

1,4 million. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the WRAPP approach in terms of its appropriateness, effectiveness and sustainability. The evaluation team followed the log frame approach, assessing to what extent the programme is meeting its objectives and achieving outcomes and impact with a focus on qualitative methods to assess the soft aspects of the WRAPP approach.

By Amanda Griscom Little

July 8, 2008 (Grist)

Jeffrey Sachs -- the renowned economist who devised a grand plan in 2005 to rid the world of poverty -- is now focused on an even broader ambition: saving the planet and all of us who call it home.

His new book, Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet??,??explores the crises of climate change and ecological degradation in a world squeezed by soaring population and industrial growth. But it's no doomsayer's lament. Sachs is a practical problem solver who's made his name advising big players in international politics and drawing up detailed plans for tackling the world's biggest challenges -- plus palling around with do-gooding celebs like Bono and Angelina Jolie. A professor of sustainable development and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Sachs is also a bigwig at the United Nations, where he advises Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He previously served as special adviser to Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 2002 to 2006, during which time he oversaw the U.N.'s Millennium Project.

In Common Wealth, Sachs argues that a new era of global cooperation will be needed to stabilize the world's population, spread sustainable technologies, eradicate disease, and lift billions of people from poverty. More pragmatist than eco-purist, Sachs advocates solutions ranging from solar power and ultra-efficient cars to advanced coal technologies, chemical fertilizers, and genetically modified seeds.

I called Sachs up at his office in New York City to suss out his vision for a sustainable future, and the political path that would make it a reality.

For the interview, please visit http://www.grist.org/feature/2008/07/08/sachs/index.html?source=rss